Darren Rafferty is one of Ireland's brightest young talents and despite only turning 19-years-old in July, he has racked up a number of eye-catching results and performances in his career, including 4th in TT at the Europeans as a junior last year and 6th this year as a first-year U23.
In this piece he talks us through his general approach to winter and what he wants to get out of training at this time of year. He talks about his training load in recent weeks and months, including mixing training will a full-time job. Rafferty also talks about stepping up his intensity and efforts around now as the National Cyclocross Championships approach and the start of the road season now gets much nearer.
His win at the U23 Strade Bianche di Romagna in March was his standout result of this year, but 12th overall at the very hilly five-stage Giro Ciclistico della Valle d´Aosta Mont Blanc (2.2U) and 6th in the season-ending Chrono des Nations U23 were also very significant achievements.
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In the latter, he was only 10 seconds off a bronze medal, and at the nationals in July he made no mistake in the test against the clock when was a deserving winner of the U23 TT gold medal. He also finished a brilliant fifth in the combined U23 and elite men´s road race.
He'll race in the colours of the US-based continental level outfit Hagens Berman Axeon again in 2023. Here, the young man from Coalisland, Co Tyrone outlines how his winter training is going, and what he is working on now as he builds towards next year.
Note:
- Sweet-spot is defined by exercise scientists as an intensity of between 84 and 95 per cent of one's maximum heart rate.
- Zone Two is between 60 and 70 per cent
How did you approach that period just after the end of the season?
This season was the first year I took a clear cut break. In previous years I had gone straight into racing cyclocross. But this year I took three weeks completely off the bike. It was mainly just a mental and physical reset I required, after around 50 race days in 2022. Off-season for me was mainly catching up with friends and family, a few nights going out, and eating plenty take-aways!
When did you start training again and how do you start off?
I started back training around the second week of November and after a few weeks off I was ready to get back to work. I had a full-time job from mid-September until December, so the volume wasn’t massively high. It was just around 8 to 10 hours for the first few weeks and a gym session twice a week.
When and how do you step it up?
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The steps up have come in steady increments until December with just an extra two or three hours per week added onto the previous eight to 10 hours. Again, it was nothing strenuous, just keeping it slow and steady with my eye on getting away to Spain in December where I could get some more intensity and volume into my legs.
How did you approach Christmas? Did you increase the distance and/or intensity?
My training approach towards Christmas has probably been the most consistent ever. I was lucky enough to get away to Calpe with the U23 Cycling Ireland squad when the weather was quite bad in Ireland. And I clocked up around 40 hours in two weeks. That wasn’t a bad lead-in to Christmas. That was a big volume boost which has allowed me to enjoy the time over Christmas on the bike with a solid group of riders living nearby. This helps make the hours pass a bit faster when it can be so cold and miserable outside.
How much training do you do indoors versus outdoors in winter?
In previous years I’ve done quite a lot of indoor training but this year I’ve got out on the road pretty much 90 to 95 per cent of the time. I’ve tried to make the most of the mild November and the Spanish December camp before heading back to Girona in January. Where possible, I like to get out on the road but if the weather is extremely poor I’ll just stick to the turbo and get the session done. But I think 2 to 2½ hours is my indoor limit!
Can you talk about how you balance miles and quality efforts?
Pre-Christmas, it’s mainly been about Zone 2 and some intensity provided by the odd CX race. But from January onwards the intensity will start to rise again as I work towards my first race of the road season in Croatia in March. Early season, the focus is on punchier efforts for the one-day classic-style races. And then my focus shifts to more sweet-spot; work closer to the summer to prepare for the longer, steadier climbing races.
What's your main goal during winter?
I think my main goal in winter would be staying healthy. If I’m sick less often, my training is more consistent and I can keep my fitness at a reasonable level without being too good too soon. Training wise, I’m always just trying to be a little bit ahead of where I was last December/January so I can see my own personal progression and know I’m heading in the right direction.
As we move into the New Year how did the efforts change? And how often would you do an FTP test?
In January I’ll be starting with shorter efforts geared towards the CX nationals mid-January. And after that I will switch back to a couple of weeks of steady endurance before flying to the Hagens Berman Axeon team camp for a big block of endurance and testing. FTP testing is not something I do when I start back training. Normally, I quickly get a feel for where I’m at with heart rate and perceived exertion. But I more than likely will do a range of tests in February with the team.
